How I Developed This Recipe
Have you ever heard of “yamitsuki”? It’s a Japanese term that basically means being totally hooked on something. You know that feeling when you just can’t put something down? That’s it. In the cooking world, this term is used to describe dishes that are so good that you can’t stop at just one bite, especially when it comes to those irresistible salads.
And speaking of irresistible salads, I’m about to share a recipe that’s built around lettuce — that everyday green you can grab at pretty much any grocery store. Nothing fancy is needed here.
I’ve captured that irresistible yakiniku restaurant-style flavor profile.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Yamitsuki Lettuce Salad at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
Begin by tearing the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
When you tear lettuce by hand instead of cutting it with a knife, you’re working with the natural fiber structure. This means less discoloration and better texture overall. Plus, those torn edges are great for holding onto the dressing.
Then give them a quick cold water bath.
You can use virtually any type of lettuce for this recipe, but I personally used iceberg lettuce for its satisfying crunch.
The crunchiness of the lettuce is a key element in this dish. A quick cold water bath helps restore and enhance that essential crisp texture we’re looking for. This is especially true for iceberg lettuce.
While your lettuce is soaking, let’s get that addictive sauce going. In a large mixing bowl, combine all your sauce ingredients.
The bowl should be spacious enough to accommodate the lettuce for tossing later, so don’t be shy about sizing up here.
Here’s where attention to detail really matters. Drain your soaked lettuce and get ready for the most critical step – thorough drying. A salad spinner is your best friend here, but a thorough shake in a colander and some paper towels work just fine too.
Remember, any lingering water will dilute that sauce we just made, and we definitely don’t want that.
Now for the fun part. Take your dried lettuce and add it to that flavorful sauce waiting in the bowl. Get in there with your hands and give everything a good massage.
Hand mixing makes sure each leaf gets an even coat of the dressing. The gentle massaging motion while mixing helps the flavors come together, making the final dish a lot better.
For serving, arrange your dressed lettuce on plates and top with hand-torn nori.
I used Japanese nori, but Korean seaweed can add an extra dimension to the dish if you’re looking to bring up the level of addictiveness.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Yamitsuki Recipes
- Izakaya Style Salted Cabbage (Yamitsuki Shio Cabbage)
- Japanese Potato Salad (Izakaya Style)
- Crispy Rice Salad with Salmon (Japanese Flavor Twist)
- Daikon Salad (Izakaya Style)
Yamitsuki Lettuce Salad
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Ingredients
150 g lettuce leaves I recommend iceberg lettuce- 1 sheet roasted seaweed for sushi (nori) topping, or Korean seaweed, torn by hand
Yamitsuki Dressing
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp dashi granules
- ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder
- ½ tsp garlic paste
- ½ tsp yellow miso paste (awase)
- ½ tsp Rice Vinegar or white vinegar
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rip 150 g lettuce leaves into rough pieces and place them in a bowl of cold water while you mix the sauce.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a bowl (1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp dashi granules, ½ tsp Chinese-style chicken bouillon powder, ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp yellow miso paste (awase), ½ tsp rice vinegar, ⅛ tsp saltand ground black pepper) and mix.
- Drain the lettuce and dry thoroughly, either using a salad spinner or kitchen paper. It’s important the lettuce leaves aren’t wet as any remaining water will dilute the sauce. Then add them to the bowl of sauce and mix by hand until evenly coated.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with 1 sheet roasted seaweed for sushi (nori) ripped into rough pieces.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Soak lettuce in cold water to ensure maximum crunchiness and crisp texture.
- Tear lettuce by hand rather than cutting with a knife to prevent discoloration and maintain fiber structure. Hand-torn edges also hold dressing better than knife-cut edges.
- Mix dressing with hands to make sure even coating on all lettuce leaves. Use gentle massaging motions when mixing to help flavors combine thoroughly.
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